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Firefighters in Southern California rushed to respond to a fast-burning fire early Wednesday afternoon.
Hughes Fire grew rapidly near Castaic Lake, growing to more than 5,050 acres since beginning at 10:53 a.m. PST.
Crews on the ground and in the sky attacked the flames, which spread over 23 football fields every minute, he said ABC 7.
“That one will go nuclear. It’s big,” said wildfire expert Jacob Weigler New York Post. Weigler said he had been in contact with colleagues near the scene and that the initial request for equipment by the fire department indicated a potentially massive disaster.
About 19,000 people were evacuated south and west of the fire, officials said KTLAwith thousands more under evacuation warnings.
Home to more than 18,000, Castaic is located near Castaic Lake, a 12,658-acre reservoir that supplies water to the Los Angeles area. The nearby city of Santa Clarita has a population of more than 224,000. It is famous for the Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park.
Several schools were forced to close.
“As many of you may know, a vegetation fire is currently burning on the east side of Castaic Lake,” an alert sent by the William S. Hart Union High School District to families at Castaic High School said. Signal. “Our law enforcement and fire partners have assured us that the school is not in danger at this time. Out of an abundance of caution and due to bad weather conditions, we will immediately stop all school activities for that day. Students will be dismissed for departure at 11:40 a.m.”
I-5 was engulfed in thick smoke and detoured along the arterial are closed. Drivers trying to escape the fire encountered a traffic jam, Lisica 11 he said. Pictures from Oxnard showed a yellow sky and a blood orange sun.
“The urgency is definitely there. You think you’re ready, but you’re never ready. You’re never really ready to go,” resident David Monroe told ABC 7. “…It hits you real quick.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom said state resources have been deployed to help with the federal response.
“We will continue to closely monitor the situation and provide the federal government with everything necessary to fight the fire,” wrote in a post on social networks.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but prognosticators are warned more critical weather for the fire affecting the region until Thursday. It remains 0 percent contained.
The Hughes Fire wasn’t the first blaze to start the day. Bernardo Fire of 7 acres San Diego County also forced evacuations. It is now 25 percent contained, according to CBS 8.
The new fires come as progress continues to contain the deadly and devastating Palisades and Eaton fires. The Eaton Fire is now 91 percent contained and the Palisades is nearly 70 percent contained.
Fires in early January killed at least 28 people, and entire settlements burned to the ground. Recovery and relief efforts in the affected areas are still ongoing.
After months without rainfall, local officials warned Rain over the weekend could cause debris flows in burn scar areas, with dangerous consequences for human health.
“As the fires subsided, new challenges are ahead of us” Superintendent Kathryn Barger said during a press conference on Wednesday. “Rains are forecast and the threat of mud and debris flows in our fire-affected communities is real.”
This story is cracking. Check back for updates.
With reporting from the Associated Press